NCT02555176

Low-Carbohydrate Normocaloric Diet in Patients With Head and Neck Carcinoma (HNC)

A Pilot Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Normocaloric Diet, in Patients With Head and Neck Carcinoma (HNC) and Its Effect on Stromal-Epithelial Metabolic Uncoupling

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 7 (actual)
• Sponsor: Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This pilot clinical trial studies the effects of a low carbohydrate diet on tumor metabolism in patients with head and neck cancer. A low carbohydrate diet may reduce the metabolic activity of cancer cells and of surrounding supportive tissues. Studying samples of tissue and blood from patients with head and neck cancer in the laboratory before and after a low carbohydrate diet may help determine any changes in tumor metabolism.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the impact of a low-carbohydrate normocaloric diet on transporter of the outer mitochondrial membrane subunit 20 (TOMM20) expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in carcinoma cells and the impact of a low-carbohydrate normocaloric diet on monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) expression in fibroblasts. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the feasibility of a low-carbohydrate normocaloric diet treatment in head and neck carcinoma (HNC) patients. II. Assess the effect of a low-carbohydrate normocaloric diet on the serum levels of insulin, and insulin growth factor (IGF)-1 and -2. III. Assess the potential impact of a low-carbohydrate normocaloric diet on the following: disease-free survival, distant metastases-free survival, overall survival. IV. To evaluate the utility of cancer-derived exosomes to serve as prognostic biomarkers for real-time monitoring of therapeutic efficacy and identifying early recurrence using longitudinal samples from cancer patients undergoing treatment. OUTLINE: Patients follow a normocaloric, low-carbohydrate diet for 10-28 days (from the time of cancer diagnosis to definitive surgical treatment). After completion of study, patients are followed up at 1 month, 3 months, and then every 3 months for 24 months.

Conditions

• Head and Neck Carcinoma

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Dietary intervention	Follow a low-carbohydrate diet

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-12-14
• Primary completion: 2017-01-01
• Completion: 2018-10-01
• First posted: 2015-09-21
• Last updated: 2025-05-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States